Feasibility of electroencephalography for direct assessment of concussion

Worldwide, concussion is a critical public health problem that can lead to a variety of physical, emotional, neurocognitive, and psychological problems. These problems can include loss of consciousness, cognitive deficits, depression, and, at a later period, the onset of dementia, verbal and recall memory loss, and attention deficits. Concussion has been referred to as a "silent epidemic" and it is currently estimated that 1.6-3.8 million concussions occur each year in the United States, which may still be an underestimate. Concussions are induced by quantified direct or indirect biomechanical forces to the brain and studies exploring biomechanical effects of head injury prove widely that impacts causing sports-related concussions are less severe than those that create cranial fractures, intracranial hemorrhages, and diffuse axonal injury. In this chapter, we focus on sports-related concussions as studied through the use of electroencephalogram (EEG). Specifically, we cover the foundation of the EEG machine and how the output can be utilized to investigate concussion.